• Hail Guest!
    We're looking for Community Content Contribuitors to Stratics. If you would like to write articles, fan fiction, do guild or shard event recaps, it's simple. Find out how in this thread: Community Contributions
  • Greetings Guest, Having Login Issues? Check this thread!
  • Hail Guest!,
    Please take a moment to read this post reminding you all of the importance of Account Security.
  • Hail Guest!
    Please read the new announcement concerning the upcoming addition to Stratics. You can find the announcement Here!

Noobs Guide to the Fountain Encounter

Larisa

Publishing Manager, Stratics Leadership
Editor
Reporter
Moderator
Professional
Editor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
Since I didn't have screenshots before, and I've been asked a few times how it works...here's a quick little guide for those of you who still don't understand how it works.

When you first enter the fountain area, you will see, obviously, a fountain...with 4 blocks randomly placed around it.

upload_2015-9-30_17-17-7.png

You will also notice on the sides of the fountain, small holes, or spigots.

upload_2015-9-30_17-17-36.png

The objective is to connect the spigots to the blocks to make the water flow.

upload_2015-9-30_17-18-12.png

When you kill a Vile Water Elemental, it will leave a piece of canal in it's place instead of a corpse.

upload_2015-9-30_17-19-3.png

Use these canal pieces to direct the flow of water from the spigots to the blocks.

upload_2015-9-30_17-19-40.png

Each canal piece has a timer of 19 minutes.

Once you have completed a circut, double-click the spouts/spigots on the side of the fountain to start the water flowing!

upload_2015-9-30_17-20-38.png

Some of them, like the one above, are easy and require very few canal pieces.
Some, however, are rather far away and require a lot more.
upload_2015-9-30_17-21-31.png

Connect all 4 blocks to the spigots to complete the encounter.

(Note: I have noticed that the straight pieces do not spawn very often. I was able to complete 2 channels before my time ran out due to that fact.)
 

OREOGL

Crazed Zealot
Professional
Stratics Veteran
UNLEASHED
Campaign Patron
You do not have to do all four blocks.

Only the bottom and the left side
 

Kyronix

UO Designer
VIP
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
You do not have to do all four blocks.

Only the bottom and the left side
You should have too...please PM me with details on what shard and when this occurred if you could. Thanks!
 

Minerva Foxglove

Lore Keeper
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
So when one channel is build you can turn it on before you go to next and the pieces dont decay ? doh.. I thought all four before turning on the water..and by then the first channel partly went poff. I use alot more corner pieces to build diagonal but never could get straight pieces to complete.I was still killing elementals when I got booted out. Thanks for info.
 

OREOGL

Crazed Zealot
Professional
Stratics Veteran
UNLEASHED
Campaign Patron
You should have too...please PM me with details on what shard and when this occurred if you could. Thanks!
This occurred through test center.

But if you fix this you need to reduce spawn rate.
 

Restless

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
You should have too...please PM me with details on what shard and when this occurred if you could. Thanks!
Ive done it a couple times on test where i just used 2 drains. I used all 4 spigots but just ran them to 2 different sides of the drains.
 

Merus

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
Is there someplace where the general objective for each room is posted?
 

Larisa

Publishing Manager, Stratics Leadership
Editor
Reporter
Moderator
Professional
Editor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
Is there someplace where the general objective for each room is posted?
I posted it somewhere....let me re-cap

Enter shadowguard and click on the crystal ball:
upload_2015-10-5_19-29-37.png
Select the encounter you wish to enter:
upload_2015-10-5_19-29-59.png
THE ARMORY:
When you first enter, you will be here:
upload_2015-10-5_19-30-38.png
Kill these:
upload_2015-10-5_19-31-5.png
When they die, you'll see one of these:
upload_2015-10-5_19-31-35.png
Pick it up, run to the middle of the room where you first spawned in, double-click it and target one of the braziers (Purifying flame)
Once you've purified it, run into one of the rooms and throw it at a suit of armor:
upload_2015-10-5_19-32-37.png
Destroy all the suits of armor to complete the encounter
 

Larisa

Publishing Manager, Stratics Leadership
Editor
Reporter
Moderator
Professional
Editor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
THE BAR:

When you enter the bar, you'll see tables with bottles on them..pirates will spawn.

upload_2015-10-5_19-33-58.png
Pick up the bottles and throw them at the pirates, they do 300 damage.

There are roughly 4-5 waves of pirates before you get to the main boss, Shanty.

Do the same with him, kill him to complete the encounter.
SIDE NOTE: Sometimes you will drink the liquor instead of throwing it, causing you to become intoxicated.

When you are intoxicated, you will occasionally hit yourself with the bottle, or start to undress.

Kill Shanty to complete the encounter.

THE ORCHARD:

There is a clue on how to complete this encounter
upload_2015-10-5_19-37-15.png

There are 4 areas with 4 trees in them.

Pick an apple off of a tree and examine it:
upload_2015-10-5_19-37-41.png
Each tree is either a dungeon or a virtue.

throw the corresponding apples at the correct trees to destroy them:
upload_2015-10-5_19-38-27.png
If you target the wrong tree, you will summon an ambush:
upload_2015-10-5_19-38-51.png

Honesty - Deciet
Compassion - Despise
Valor - Destard
Justice - Wrong
Sacrifice - Covetous
Honor - Shame
Spirituality - Hythloth
Humility - Doom
 
Last edited:

Larisa

Publishing Manager, Stratics Leadership
Editor
Reporter
Moderator
Professional
Editor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
THE BELFRY:
(Sorry not a lot of pictures for this one yet)

Enter the encounter, you will notice a platform with a Greater Dragon on it.

there are 2 bells on each side of the platform. Ring the bells to summon the Drakes.
Kill the drakes and loot them until you find one of these:
upload_2015-10-5_19-42-2.png
Double-click the wing to teleport up to the Dragon.
Kill the dragon to complete the encounter.

The dragon is mean, he will push you off the platform and has major fire breath.


THE ROOF:
I haven't gotten that far yet...hopefully soon!
 

Larisa

Publishing Manager, Stratics Leadership
Editor
Reporter
Moderator
Professional
Editor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
I just did! :)

LOL yeah I am working on it...as you can tell...but I figure this would help until I have a more comprehensive guide put together.
 

Larisa

Publishing Manager, Stratics Leadership
Editor
Reporter
Moderator
Professional
Editor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
You should have too...please PM me with details on what shard and when this occurred if you could. Thanks!
Like this:

upload_2015-10-5_23-36-18.png

This one is best to do solo so not many elementals spawn.
 

Goodmann

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
The fountain needs to be fixed asap for parties, we just tested to see how many water eles would spawn. I think the exact number is somewhere after infinity
@Kyronix
Screenshot - 10_6_2015 , 10_44_17 PM.png
 

Larisa

Publishing Manager, Stratics Leadership
Editor
Reporter
Moderator
Professional
Editor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
I know right? It's BAD!

What we've figured out....the fountain should be done solo...it's hard but better so not so many water elementals spawn.

The orchard can be done with a party but it's not necessary.

the bar can be solo'd but either that or one other person.

The armory....this is another one that needs the spawn adjusted WAY down. We got it done but it was difficult.

The belfry....same...the more people in there, the more drakes spawn and it makes it difficult to loot to find the wing with so many corpses...we've figured out a strategy though and got it done.

My guildie went into the roof on his own just to check it out and almost had the one mini boss dead before he died...the archer? (still not sure who's in there and what they do)
 

OREOGL

Crazed Zealot
Professional
Stratics Veteran
UNLEASHED
Campaign Patron
We did this with three people and they do spawn quick but i don't think the spawn rate needs adjusted if we keep it to just the two sides.

If you add in the others it'll be impossible. I do this one solo because the spawn is just manageable enough to complete the encounter.

I have not tried it with more than three people but spawn rate should not exceed the three person rate if there's a difference.
 

Minerva Foxglove

Lore Keeper
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
But everyone have to do all rooms before a party can enter the roof , or a party leader is enough?
 

OREOGL

Crazed Zealot
Professional
Stratics Veteran
UNLEASHED
Campaign Patron
But everyone have to do all rooms before a party can enter the roof , or a party leader is enough?
Everyone has to do each encounter.

If I remember right we tried to take the shortcut but wouldn't let us and gave a message in the bottom left corner about one of the party members.
 

Minerva Foxglove

Lore Keeper
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Thanks! I thought so but cant remember seeing it anywhere. So a big guild party better split up in smaller groups working the rooms or maybe prepare and do the earier rooms in advance.
 

Goodmann

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I know right? It's BAD!

What we've figured out....the fountain should be done solo...it's hard but better so not so many water elementals spawn.

The orchard can be done with a party but it's not necessary.

the bar can be solo'd but either that or one other person.

The armory....this is another one that needs the spawn adjusted WAY down. We got it done but it was difficult.

The belfry....same...the more people in there, the more drakes spawn and it makes it difficult to loot to find the wing with so many corpses...we've figured out a strategy though and got it done.

My guildie went into the roof on his own just to check it out and almost had the one mini boss dead before he died...the archer? (still not sure who's in there and what they do)
The Archers name is Ozymandias and he is a bad MOFO.............
 

Larisa

Publishing Manager, Stratics Leadership
Editor
Reporter
Moderator
Professional
Editor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
I finally have access to the roof...I'm going to attempt to go in there and take some screenshots...they might all be black and white though! ;)

So there's Ozymandias the Archer..he rides a Hiyru correct?

(Attempting to make a guide...wish me luck!)

Okay I didn't last very long the first time lol.

I do like what Minax says when you first enter:

Well well! You've managed to get through my fortress but alas you shall never foil my plans! Perhaps you need some friends to play with? Muwahhaha!

Oh Anon my dear! Deal with these pesky intruders will you? Burn them to ASH!

And then Anon spawned and kicked my arse :/ lol
 
Last edited:

OREOGL

Crazed Zealot
Professional
Stratics Veteran
UNLEASHED
Campaign Patron
I finally have access to the roof...I'm going to attempt to go in there and take some screenshots...they might all be black and white though! ;)

So there's Ozymandias the Archer..he rides a Hiyru correct?

(Attempting to make a guide...wish me luck!)

Okay I didn't last very long the first time lol.

I do like what Minax says when you first enter:

Well well! You've managed to get through my fortress but alas you shall never foil my plans! Perhaps you need some friends to play with? Muwahhaha!

Oh Anon my dear! Deal with these pesky intruders will you? Burn them to ASH!

And then Anon spawned and kicked my arse :/ lol
The roof is a grind so as long as you can find a tank you're good. Two of us did it with a greater dragon and chivalry archer And then greater and a parry Mage.

If you're doing it solo your best bet is a tamer with the gd
 

Larisa

Publishing Manager, Stratics Leadership
Editor
Reporter
Moderator
Professional
Editor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
Thanks for the tip Oreo, I will have to go get my GD and see how I fare. Do the mini-bosses spawn in random order? Like when I just went in Minax summoned Anon first...is it always that way or is it random?

upload_2015-10-7_11-48-48.png
 

DJAd

Stratics Legend
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
That fountain room is ridiculous!! Sooooooo much spawn, you either die to that or get stuck in the blocks and then die, and then you can't move as the blocks are blocking the way so you can't move!

 

OREOGL

Crazed Zealot
Professional
Stratics Veteran
UNLEASHED
Campaign Patron
That fountain room is ridiculous!! Sooooooo much spawn, you either die to that or get stuck in the blocks and then die, and then you can't move as the blocks are blocking the way so you can't move!


This must be old, because the spawn rate is no where near this now.

It wasn't even this bad if you were killing them prior to the tweak.

What were you doing?
 

Alex"Drake Iron Heart"CS

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
That fountain room is ridiculous!! Sooooooo much spawn, you either die to that or get stuck in the blocks and then die, and then you can't move as the blocks are blocking the way so you can't move!

We are 8, and Ive counted over 300 eles, Too much spawn rate IMO!! Impossible to do when you get these many as they keep coming and each piece slow you down


PS edit: Tried it in teams of 2 and works wonders, larger groups spawn too much
 
Last edited:

Larisa

Publishing Manager, Stratics Leadership
Editor
Reporter
Moderator
Professional
Editor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
How many people did you have in there? Because I was doing it solo because the spawn was so thick...then they decreased it and I couldn't do it solo anymore because not enough spawned!

3 people in there is a bit harder, the spawn seems to increase exponentially.
 

Larisa

Publishing Manager, Stratics Leadership
Editor
Reporter
Moderator
Professional
Editor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
We are 8, and Ive counted over 300 eles, Too much spawn rate IMO!! Impossible to do when you get these many as they keep coming and each piece slow you donw
Oh good lord no wonder!

2 people! Just do it in groups of 2....crazy people! lol
 

OREOGL

Crazed Zealot
Professional
Stratics Veteran
UNLEASHED
Campaign Patron
We are 8, and Ive counted over 300 eles, Too much spawn rate IMO!! Impossible to do when you get these many as they keep coming and each piece slow you donw
Yeah that'd do it lol.

the spawn rate should not accelerate after 3 or 4 people
 

Critical Gaming

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I found out the best way to do the fountain. Go in with a party of two - pick up all the pieces you can. Die, then go in by yourself and place them all. EZPZ.

ANyways, would anyone wanna team up for The Roof? I'm the only one in my guild that's this far.

ICQ is 225199894.
 

drcossack

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
The roof is a grind so as long as you can find a tank you're good. Two of us did it with a greater dragon and chivalry archer And then greater and a parry Mage.

If you're doing it solo your best bet is a tamer with the gd
Yup. I managed to do everything but the fountain by myself on LS. Orchard was easy when I figured out that the trees are destroyed by the proper apple, it was just matching them up. Belfry was the only one I died on, I tried going after the GD myself. In such a small area...BAD IDEA. I came back with my SDI suit and had an easier time (130ish on EBolts with 75 SDI and Dragon Slayer book), although my own greater kept getting pushed off, so I had to go up there several times.

Fountain's really the only room where you might need an extra hand.
 

Critical Gaming

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Belfry is easy with a GD. You get up once, then whenever he pushes your dragon off just invis and log out and in. Your dragon appears back up with you and you just rinse repeat until it dies.
 

Mikeltin5

Seasoned Veteran
Stratics Veteran
@Kyronix could the spawn rates be looked at for the Fountain? If you go in a group of 3+ you could easily be overwhelmed while trying to build the canals because (2) spawn at a time per player like the vile drakes. Ideal situations with 2 people. More than that and it becomes sketchy.

But even more irritating than that is (1) person soloing the room with 1 ele spawning at a time....we don't even get the luxury of (2) spawn per like in a party. Is this intentional? The only way to make it work now is to collect a backpack full of pieces and leave...then go back to work it. OR take the chance that you'll get the final pieces before the room times out.

Our typical team likes to solo the rooms then meet up on a night that works for us and do the roof together. Doing the fountain alone is a little more than a headache.

But I believe its built this way with all the rooms. If I do the Armory I get (2) spawn per player. If I do it alone I get (1). I think anyone soloing the rooms could handle another creature on the spawn timer :please:
 

Basara

UO Forum Moderator
Moderator
Professional
Governor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
Campaign Supporter
@Kyronix

The ones I have issues with are the fountain and the armory.

Fountain: Can be done with some difficulty by 2 people. Barely doable solo IF you get lucky (takes me about 5-10 tries), because spawn rate is too low for one person. Spawn rate for 3+ people is insane.

Armory: TOO MANY SPAWN. Only a couple of templates have even a remote shot of soloing the room, as by the last 5 minutes there are WAY too many spawn (spawn increases as time passes or statues destroyed - not sure which). most attempts by my mystic/mage/spellweaver end in death or with 1-4 statues left - and that's my most capable character in it. It's slightly more manageable with 2 players - but only if you have one player running around as bait, while the other is picking off single opponents. The fact the 3/4 of them don't drop phylacteries past the half-way point doesn't help either. 3+ people, the swarming spawn factor sets in again and it gets undoable.

On the other hand...

The Orchard is too easily abused by large groups. You send in a huge party, everyone but one person invises, then the one person goes around identifying trees all at once (often peacing the spawn), not fighting, then once they have enough identified to make a bunch of matches, they run in circles being chased by a hundred or more treefolk. You saw those screencaps of the fountain? Imagine the orchard that full by the end, but NONE of the treefolk ever being fought. It's every much as ludicrous,but in the other direction.

The Belfry really needs to have a way to keep a dragon on the top, and a way for more than one person to get up there. Currently, the only way for it not to be a solo fight is to either have a bunch of tamers have their pets accept orders from the person that uses the feather, and hope that the pet makes it up top, or cast summons up there from the 2-3 points that allow targeting a similarly small point, and constantly recast as the summons typically get dispelled after 0-3 swings. Changing the feathers from one spawning, to one for every 3 drakes, would be better (or even having the dragon drag you up with a teleport and attack you if it gets annoyed). Otherwise, it's no different than the "1 man working, 6 men watching" of the Orchard.

In all, the Bar is the only one that is reasonably balanced for 1-3 people (2 being best) who aren't tamers, and getting near impossible as you go up from 4.


The strategies before you get to the roof, for most rooms, is not "cooperation" but "let one person do the work while everyone else watches or acts as decoys - and god forbid you try to do it with more than 2 people". Which seems to me to be the exact opposite of what this encounter was meant to do.
 

Merus

Crazed Zealot
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
No offense, but if you are still having issues in the fountain, you are doing it wrong.

I typically do the fountain solo with 4 accounts... I play 1 while the other 3 just stand there. I do all the rooms that way.
 

Larisa

Publishing Manager, Stratics Leadership
Editor
Reporter
Moderator
Professional
Editor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
You can do the fountain solo, just go in and collect canal pieces for about 10 minutes, go out and go back in, use those pieces right away and usually you can get at least 2 canals done..that's how I do it if no one else is on lol

The bar is easy solo. armory not so much because of the slow spawn but I can do it, same with the orchard though it's a bit tougher because the treefellows keep teleporting you to them making it hard to throw the apples!
 

Basara

UO Forum Moderator
Moderator
Professional
Governor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
Campaign Supporter
If you either stop and immediately kill the treefellow, or simply run around fast enough to avoid it, you won't be teleported to it.

The only time it teleports if if you damage it at a distance with weapons, spells, pets or summons.

I can typically do the orchard SOLO in stone form, stopping to RC the single treefellow - without actually trying to match the trees by name, but simply trying one tree with all other possibilities until it drops. Granted, it takes over 25 minutes that way, and only on rare occasions doesn't get done in time. It's a matter of taking apples both ways (if A to B doesn't work, do C to A on the return trip, then A to D, then E to A, etc.)
 
Last edited:

Mikeltin5

Seasoned Veteran
Stratics Veteran
No offense, but if you are still having issues in the fountain, you are doing it wrong. I typically do the fountain solo with 4 accounts... I play 1 while the other 3 just stand there. I do all the rooms that way.
You can do the fountain solo, just go in and collect canal pieces for about 10 minutes, go out and go back in
So basically what u 2 are confirming is that either you barely make the cusp if u do it with (1) acct, have to do it twice because you may not make it in some cases and would lose all the canal pieces, or buy more acct's so I can log in more toons than just the (1) I have.

All 3 options are a bit absurd...How is "soloing with 4 accts" a reasonable excuse that the room solo doesn't need tweaking??
 

Basara

UO Forum Moderator
Moderator
Professional
Governor
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Wiki Moderator
UNLEASHED
Campaign Supporter
Actually, what Larisa is saying only requires one account, but going in, killing the eles for 10 minutes and picking up everything, aborting out of it, then going back in to a fresh 30-minute timer with a bunch of 10 minute or less pieces already on you.

But, yeah, it is a bit ridiculous to have to do something that is an unintended strategy bordering on exploit, to do it solo. But, at this point, it's the accepted strategy until the Devs do something. I'm actually more concerned in the long run over how those pieces are exploitable in other rooms, which makes the collect, leave and re-enter strategy likely to be removed as soon as someone complains about it.
 
Top